Building construction



Filed June 18, 1946 BY I gale, QI TORNEY Patented Jan. 8, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Wayne K. Davis, Berkeley, Calif.

Application June 18, 1946, Serial No. 677,433

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to building construction and more particularly to a construction for protecting buildings against termites or the like.

Among the objects of my invention are:

(1) To provide a novel and improved building construction;

(2) To provide a novel and improved building construction offering protection against termites;

(3) To provide a novel and improved protective construction relating to the foundation of buildings, which will serve to maintain the same dry and at the same time protect the superstructure from attack by termites.

Additional objects of my invention will be brought out in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the same, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein the figure is a view in section, of a building construction such as might be found in the construction of homes, and illustrates the manner in which the invention may be applied thereto.

In the construction of buildings such as homes or the like, a foundation wall I of concrete or the like is formed to support the super-structure 3 which is the house proper, and this conventionally involves a framework of wood, made up of a mudsill 5 which rests directly on the foundation wall, floor joists 6 and studding I covered with siding 9 which may be faced with stucco II or other known outer wall covering.

In accordance with conventional practice, the area surrounding the foundation wall is filled in and sometimes landscaped, in most cases causing dirt to be piled up against the foundation wall and the lower portion of the super-structure, thereby creating a favorable condition for infestation by termites.

In accordance with the present invention, I form a ventilated passage l3 about the building along the junctidn of the foundation wall and super-structure. In forming such passage, I provide a wall I5 0f termite resistant material, such wall being a height sufficient to extend from a location on said foundation wall below the soil surface I1, to a height above such surface and in space relationship to the super-structure.

The wall may comprise a plurality of sections i9 laid end to end, each section having a lateral flange 2| along its upper edge and a lateral flange 23 along its lower edge, the upper fiange being adapted to abut against the super-structure while the lower flange is adapted to abut against the foundation wall and may be held in position by a foundation 25 of percent into which the sec 2 tion is positioned before the cement hardens, or such foundation may be confined to those regions where the wall sections abut each other. Along the upper flanges, the sections may be sealed to the siding by the outer finishing coat or covering applied thereto.

The ventilating passage wall sections may be of standardized lengths and cast from a mixture of mica and cement. When so formed, the same can be cut down to shorter lengths when necessary. The wall sections are preferably provided with screened openings 21 for Ventilation purposes.

Where the installation is such that the ventilated passage terminates in an open end, such end will preferably be screened to avoid accumulation of leaves and debris.

The construction thus described will not only serve to keep the soil away from the wood elements of the super-structure, but will also tend to keep these elements dry at all times, both of which factors are essential toward discouraging infestation by termites.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to structures for preventing termite infestation, I do not intend that the same should be so limited, for my invention has application in and contemplates a construction which will offer protection against any type of infestation which will attack wood elements through soil contact or which thrive under moist conditions, such as fungi including that causing dry rot.

While I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention in detail, the same is subject to modification and alteration without departing from the underlying principles involved, and I accordingly do not desire to be limited in my protection to the specific .details illustrated and described, except as may be necessitated by the appended claim.

I claim:

A building construction comprising a foundation wall below the surface of adjacent surrounding soil, a wood super-structure supported thereon and including spaced wood studding disposed along said foundation wall and subject to infestation 'by termites, outside wall material affixed to said studding upwardly from an elevation above said soil surface, leaving openings between said studding in the region below said elevation, and a Wall of termite resistant. material in horizontal spaced relationship to said foundation wall and said super-structure and having a lateral flange along its upper edge extending to said superstructure at substantially the starting elevation of said outside wall material, and a lateral flange along its lower edge extending to said foundation Wall.

WAYNE K. DAVIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent; V

Number Number Great Britain Mar. 23, 1922 

